A new friend
by sherlockfan201
Summary: In a setting where the higher class of people adopt lower class humans as pets. A young Sherlock adopts his very first pet named John. *Teenlock*
1. Chapter 1

English▼

John sat in his cage, looking at the new person. He was skinnier than John but taller. He'd come to adopt a pet as they all did. Some of the pets put on shows and talked to the boy, trying to impress him. John just sighed and remained quiet, no one would ever picked him.

The boy approached Johns cage and stared at the him as he studied him closely. "I want this one, mum." he said looking up to the taller woman that stood next to him.

John perked up at that and watched the boy. "If you're sure dear." She went to pay for John and brought back a leash, handing it to her son. "He's all yours." She smiled.

Sherlock smiled and unlocked the gate. "Your coming home with me, you'll like your new home, come on out." he said encouraging John to step out.

John tentatively stepped out of the cage. This boy looked to be around John's age, he couldn't be that bad or cruel of an owner right? "What are you going to name him?" Sherlock's mother asked.

Sherlock gently attached the leash to Johns collar and looked at him thinking of a name. "I'm not sure, do you have a name puppy?" he asked, most of the pets didn't have names but this one might.

John looked up at the mother and then back to his new owner. "John." He replied quietly. "You can name him whatever you like though." His mum pointed out.

Sherlock nodded to his mum and looked back to John. "John, I think that's a good name, it fits you, so John it is then." he said and led him out of the room with his mum.

John smiled slightly, glad he got to keep his name. He followed behind Sherlock and hopped into the car when he was told to. He watched the city outside as they drove to his new home.

Sherlock didn't say much on the ride home but once the car pulled up to his house he got out with John. "Come with me, I'll show you my room, then I'll give you a tour of the house." he said leading him inside and took the leash off of him.

John followed after him and was glad to have the pull of a leash removed. He padded after Sherlock, looking around the house as they went through it.

Sherlock lead him upstairs and into a bedroom the curtains were closed making it a bit dark. "This is my room." Sherlock said going to the curtains and pulling them open to let the sunlight into the room.

John blinked against the light and looked around in awe at all the interesting things this boy had.

"That table in the corner is where I do my experiments, don't play with anything on the table though." he warned pointing to the table. "And my bed is over in the other corner, I made you a small bed near mine, but my mum says you have to sleep in another part of the house, I'll show you now if you want." he said.

John looked at the strange things on the table and made a mental note to stay away from them. He turned back to his new master and nodded, waiting for him to lead the way.

Sherlock led him out and pointed out another bedroom door. "That's my brothers room, we aren't allowed in there though, he's not always home though but still, he also has a pet." he said and led him back downstairs.

John nodded at the information. He wondered what kind of pet his master's brother had and whether they'd get along.

"My parents room is down the hall over there, we aren't allowed in there either." he said and led John to another part of the hall and opened a door. "This is your room, my brothers pet is across from yours." he said pointing to the door in front of them, he led John in and showed him his bed.

John was slightly impressed. He couldn't believe he got his own room, much less a nice comfy looking bed. Then again none of this probably meant anything to the family that lived here, luxury was common with them.

"I can let you rest if you want, dinner will be ready soon, or we can go play." he said putting the leash on the door handle.

"I'm not really tired." John replied, looking at Sherlock and waiting for orders.

"Very well then, lets go outside and play, we can play catch with the new ball I bought." he said and led John out and into the backyard, he picked up a green leather ball and handed it to John.

"I toss it to you right?" John inquired, wanting to make sure he was doing the right thing.

"Yes, then I throw it back to you." he replied and took some steps back to catch the ball.

John took the ball in one hand and tossed it underhanded to Sherlock as best as he could.

Sherlock caught it and smiled. "Good throw, now you catch it." he said throwing the ball back to John.

John smiled and was able to catch the ball. He threw it back to Sherlock.

Sherlock caught it and both continued to toss the ball back in forth, Sherlock got an idea. "Go way out in the yard and I'll throw it to you John, see if you can catch it from over there." he said.

John nodded and backed up pretty far. He held his hands out to catch the ball but he ended up missing. "Sorry." He apologized and threw the ball to Sherlock.

"That's ok, we can practice some more later." he said and turned his head when he heard the front door open, he heard his brothers voice and sighed. "My brothers home, let me introduce you to him, I'm not sure if his pets with him." Sherlock said taking Johns hand and leading him inside.

John let Sherlock pull him inside and saw a boy that was a bit older than Sherlock who had to be his brother, along with another boy that must be his pet. "Hello Sherlock, this must be your new puppy." Mycroft said. "Not exactly the best looking but I suppose he'll do."

Sherlock greeted his brother and tensed at what he said. "Don't take about John like that Mycroft, I never insulted your pet." he snapped and pointed to the boy next to his brother.

"There's nothing to really insult Greg about. He's a very good pet." Mycroft said smiling at Greg. "Does your pet know the rules yet?"

Sherlock hesitated and looked at his feet. "No, I was busy giving him a tour of the house."

"You best do it soon. You know you'll have to be the one to punish him if he misbehaves and Mummy or I will step in if it's not done correctly." Mycroft warned. John felt a slight shiver run up his spine at talk of punishment. He looked over the other pet and saw that he seemed to be fairly well taken care of, that didn't mean he wasn't hiding marks of being punished though.

"I will tell him the rules before dinner, and you will never lay a hand on John, he's mine so I will punish him if he misbehaves, not you, see you at dinner time." he said glaring at his brother and pulled John to follow him upstairs to his bedroom.

Mycroft frowned slightly and went off with his pet to do his own thing before dinner. John followed Sherlock, paying attention to his feet so he didn't trip up the stairs.

Sherlock entered his room and shut the door still upset with his brother, he wouldn't let Mycroft punish John ever, he looked out the window and closed his eyes and sighed.

"Are you all right Master?" John asked, standing right beside him.

Sherlock opened his eyes and frowned at being called master. I'm fine, Mycroft just upset me, I won't ever let him hurt you, he's not yours, he has his own pet." he said rubbing a hand across his eyes.

John nodded. "He mentioned some rules I might need to know." He reminded. He didn't want to accidentally step over a line during his stay here.

"Yes, sit down and I'll tell you. First rule, you eat in another room from the dinner table, you can't eat with us, Second rule, you have to be in your room and in bed by nine, no wandering the house at night." he said and looked at John to see if he understood.

John sat down as he listened and nodded for Sherlock to go on.

"Third rule no going near the fences in the backyard, you have to stay behind the row of trees, don't ever pass the trees, fourth rule you can only be allowed in my room if I'm in the room with you." he said and paused a moment and continued. "And the fifth rule is always do what your master tells you to do." he finished off.

John nodded again. "Yes, Master." The rules seemed easy enough to follow. He hoped that life here wouldn't be so bad.

"Good, lets go wash up for dinner then,I'll show you where you and Greg eat." he said opening his door.

John walked through the doorway and followed Sherlock to the sink. He washed up and was directed to a room off of the dining room. Greg was already there.

"Don't be nervous, Greg is nice, unlike my brother." Sherlock said nudging John toward the table. "See you after dinner." he smiled and left the room to join his family.

John walked over to the table and sat down across from Greg where there was a plate set out for him. He smiled slightly at Greg and started to eat.

Greg smiled back. "Your name is John, correct?" he asked taking a bite of his food.

John nodded and took a sip of the water he'd been provided. The food was much better than what he'd gotten in the pound.

Greg raised a brow, John was a quiet person then. He didn't say anything more and finished his dinner.

John wasn't far from finishing when he decided to speak up. "So how is it living here?" He inquired.

Greg looked up and put his fork down. "I like it, and so will you, as long as you follow the rules and do what your master says you can really enjoy yourself here." he said smiling,

John smiled back. "That's good. Mycroft doesn't make you do anything too terrible then?"

Greg furrowed his brow. "No, like what exactly, doing his chores for him stuff like that?"

John shrugged, "Just nothing that you really don't want to do. I just...I've heard of some rather cruel or strict masters.'

Greg nodded in understanding, he heard about masters being cruel to their pets. "No, Mycrofts never done anything to hurt me or told me to do something I didn't want to do."

"Great. Are we allowed to do things together when not needed by our masters?" He asked, curious if him and Greg could become friends.

"Of course we can, sometimes Mycroft and Sherlock won't be home, so we can talk and hang out." he said smiling again.

"I'd like that. I mean...you know, if you want." He said.

"I'd like that John, it's nice to talk to someone at dinnertime, I got lonely when I had to eat alone."

"Well now you have me." John smiled. "Do we wait for them to come collect us or take our plates into the kitchen or what?" John had finished off his last bite.

"We take our plates to the sink and wait for our masters near the stairs." he said picking his plate up.

John grabbed his plate and glass and walked into the kitchen. He rinsed his plate and set it in the sink, then joined Greg by the stairs. "So any advice for the newbie? Other than follow the rules?"

"Yes, try to not get in the way with the father, he's nice but gets annoyed rather quickly if your being loud or getting in the way if he's on his phone." he said with a grin.

John smiled back at him. "Thanks, Greg."

**:** "Your welcome John, dinner should be over for the family in a few minutes." he said looking at the clock hanging on the wall.

John nodded and looked up at the clock as well. He continued to talk to Greg until Sherlock came to collect him.

Sherlock came into the room and saw the two talking. "John, lets go into my room now." he said taking his hand and leading him upstairs.

"Bye Greg." John waved as he let Sherlock drag him to his room.

Greg smiled and waved then turned to Mycroft when he entered. Sherlock entered his room and shut his door. "How was dinner?" he asked John as he removed his coat and hanging it up.

"It was good thank you." John smiled. "Yours?" He asked, assuming they got different foods.

"It was good, what did you think about Greg, he's nice isn't he?"

"Yes he is. I like him." John replied.

Sherlock nodded and looked out his window. "I told you he was nice, did you both talk about anything interesting?"

"I mostly just asked him questions about living here." John said, following Sherlock's line of sight to see if there was anything particularly interesting he was looking at.

Sherlock moved his gaze from the window to John. "Oh, do you think you'll like living here?"

John nodded and grinned as he looked back at Sherlock.

Sherlock smiled back. "I'm glad, you'll like it here I promise." he said ruffling Johns hair and sitting on his bed.

John leaned into the touch, enjoying it slightly. "So what did you want to do now?" John asked, sitting beside Sherlock.

"Well we have some time before bed, I can read you a story or we can just talk." he said with a shrug.

John's eyes lit up. "You'd read me a story?"

"Of course, I have a lot of books, there's a book shelf in the corner, pick out anyone you like." he said pointing it out.

John stood up and walked over to the bookshelf. He looked over the books and chose one that seemed interesting. He returned to the bed and handed it to Sherlock.


	2. Chapter 2

Sherlock took the book and smiled at John. "Good choice, I like this book, and I think you will too." he said sitting back against his headboard. John laid on his stomach at the foot of the bed and waited for the story to begin Sherlock smiled and opened the book to the first page. "Chapter 1,." he said and started to read the story while making accents for the characters when they talked, glancing at John once in a while to see if he was listening.

John watched Sherlock as he read and smiled as the story played out in his head. He giggled at some of the accents that Sherlock made. "You're a great story teller." John grinned.

Why thank you." he said with a grin, he glanced at the clock, it was eight thirty, he must have been reading longer then he thought. "Would you like me to continue or save it till tomorrow night?" he asked placing the book in his lap.

"I'd like you to continue if you don't mind." He said, hopeful. "I don't mind at all." he said picking the book back up and continued reading getting back into character. John went back to the world Sherlock created with his words and got lost in it. Sherlock glanced at John once in a while reading and saw how much he was into the story and smile at that, he finished to more chapters and bent a page to know where he was in the story. "Time for bed I'm afraid John, I'll read to you some more tomorrow night." he said with a yawn as he set the book aside. Yes, Master." John said hopping up from the bed and heading towards the door. "Goodnight." He smiled. "Goodnight John." Sherlock smiled as he left, he changed into his pajamas and got into bed trying to fall asleep. John walked to his room and climbed into the comfy bed, falling asleep almost immediately. The next day Sherlock woke up and stretched out his legs and arms, he quickly got up and headed to the bathroom to take a quick shower before breakfast was served. John went to the bathroom he shared with Greg. He took a long shower and had forgotten to grab clothes so he wrapped a towel around himself and started toward his room. Sherlock left the bathroom and changed into some clean clothes and made his way downstairs to check on John. John was changing into some clean clothes. He heard Sherlock enter and turned around. He'd been about to put his shirt on when he abandoned it to greet his master. "Good morning Master." He smiled. Sherlock stopped at the door and smiled. "Good morning John, did you sleep well last night?" he asked leaning against the door frame. John nodded and grabbed his shirt, slipping it over his body. "The bed was really comfy." He grinned. "That's good, are you hungry? Breakfast is being served." He said looking behind him as he started to hear the others moving around the house. John nodded and walked over to the doorway. Sherlock led him into the kitchen and was handed two plates of food, he looked at John with a frown. "I'm afraid the rules apply for breakfast too, you can take your plate to the other room, I won't be long." He said handing John a plate. "It's all right." John said taking his plate to the other room. He sat down at the table and started eating. Sherlock watched him go and took his own plate to the table and greeted his parents and Myvroft despite that he was still upset with him. John greeted Greg when he walked in. "Morning John." He greeted back and sat down with his own plate. "How was the first night in you're new home?" "It was great. Sherlock read to me and I slept amaxingly in my new bed." John beamed. "That's good, Sherlock read to you? That was nice of him." He replied as he cut his eggs up with a fork. "John nodded. "Yeah, he even changed his voice for the characters. What do you and Mycroft usually do?" HE inquired. "I mean if you'd like to tell me." Greg smiled then it faded a little, Mycroft never read to him or anything like that. "He takes me to the park once in a while or into town. He's usually busy so I son't see him on most days." He said with a shrug. "Going to the park and into town sounds fun too." He said, feeling a bit bad for Greg that his Master wasn't around often. "It can be fun. You know Sherlock and Mycroft won't be here tomorrow morning and won't return till mid afternoon, we can do something fun if you'd like." He replied. "That sounds like fun. John smiled. "Great." Greg said and finished up his breakfast. Once Sherlock was done he excused himself and headed to the other room where John was. "I'm just finishing now Master." John said taking another bite and standing when he saw Sherlock. He nodded as he took up John's plate along with Greg's. "Greg my brother wants you to meet him outside." He said glancing at Greg, who stood up and smiled at John before leaving the room. Sherlock motioned for John to follow him as he took the plates over to the sink. John followed him into the kitchen. "Shall I wash the plates Master?" He inquired. Sherlock raised a brow at the offer. "No it's fine, we have someone else wash them." He replied as he set the dishes down and looked back at John. "What dod you want to do now?" He asked, smiling. "Well we can go to the park or we can go play ball in the backyard again, you choose." Sherlock said with a smile. "I'd like to see the park if that's all right. We could play ball there if that's what you wish to do." John replied, excited to see new stuff. "That's fine, meet me by the front door while I get the ball." He said to John and went to the back yard. John nodded and went to the front door and waited. Sherlock came into the room and saw John. "We are going to walk, the park isn't far from the house." He said opening the front door and stepping out. "All right." John said following after Sherlock. Sherlock walked on making sure John stayed by his side, he looked around and saw other people with pets, some had collars and some without. They arrived at the park finally and looked at John. "Ready to play ball. "He said with a smile. John nodded and grinned. He stepped away from Sherlock, creating a distance for them to throw the ball. "Ready when you are, Sir." Sherlock nodded and threw the ball far to John. He made sure not to throw it to hard or anything. They spent the time throwing the ball back and forth and at one point Sherlock threw the ball a bit to far. He watch as John missed and chase after the ball trees, and ran after him once he saw that John was getting a little to far from his sight. The ball had stopped short at a pair of feet. John looked up at the person they belonged to. "Sorry sir." He said reaching for the ball. Sherlock tensed at who John was speaking to and quickly approached him getting between the other bot and John. "Hello Jim." He said in a casual voice as he picked the ball up not looking away from him. "Well, well, well if it isn't Sherly. This your pet?" Jim asked, looking over John. John watched the other boy and he didn't know what but there was something he didn't like about him. "Don't call me that." He said narrowing his eyes and blocking John from Jim's view.. "And yes this is my pet, his name is John. What are you doing here anyway?" "Got bored and decided to take my new pet out." Jim smiled. He whistled and a slightly older and bigger kid appeared at Jim's side. "This is Sebastian." Sherlock looked at the boy, he looked like a tough person and something about him made Sherlock nervous. "Well good luck with him then." He said tearing his gaze from Sebastian to Jim. "He's been fairly easy to train. Though I suppose most would be given the right…push." Jim grinned. "I'd be willing to help you train yours if you wish." He said, looking past Sherlock at John, eyeing him and licking his lips. Sherlock felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end and stepped back grabbing Johns arm. "I don't think so, deal with your own pet and stay away from mine." He said and turned John around and led him away not looking back. "I'll be seing you Sherlock." Jim called out." "Who was that?" John asked, shivering slightly as he remembered the way Jim looked at him. Sherlock ignored Jim and continued walking. "Jim Moriarty, I've known him since last year at school as a frshaman He's a bit of a trouble maker and…well let's leave it at that." He said. John gave him a confused look and wondered what else Sherlock was going to say but didn't question him. "Yeah well either way they both are kind of…scary." John said, looking back at them. "Just stay away from them both, if you see them again ignore them or walk in the other direction." He said looking at John. "Yes Master. Did you want to go home or would you rather stay and play some more?" "Let's go home, I don't want to risk running into those two again." he said and led John out of the park. John followed behind Sherlock, glad to not have to think about Jim and Sebastian anymore. They arrived back at the house and entered into the hall. Sherlock removed his coat and set it aside. "Let's get some water." he said feeling thirsty as he went into the kitchen. John followed happily after Sherlock, walking into the kitchen. Sherlock filled two glasses with water and handed John one. He looked out the window to the backyard and saw Mycroft with Greg talking, he raised a brow and turned away to look at John. Thank you." John said, sipping from the glass. "Something up?" He asked, when he saw Sherlock's inquisitive expression"Your welcome, I'm not sure, I saw Mycroft and Greg outside talking, Mycroft looked tense." he said glancing out the window again. Do you think he's mad at Greg for some reason?" John asked, not wanting Greg to get in trouble. "I don't see why he would be, Greg rarely gets into trouble, stay here I'm going to go see what's going on." he said leaving the kitchen. John nodded and watched out the window as Sherlock went to investigate. Sherlock stepped outside and approached his brother. "Something wrong Mycroft?, I saw you through the window you looked tense." was just having a talk with Greg. He strayed too close to the fences." Mycroft frowned. Sherlock frowned too, and looked at Greg then back to Mycroft. "I'm sure he wasn't trying to escape Mycroft, did you ask him before you started to accuse him?" t doesn't matter the reason. He knew it was wrong and he is going to be punished." Mycroft said. herlock gazed at his brother, he couldn't argue against it though, Greg broke a rule and had to take the punishment. "Well I think Greg is innocent but you know what's best for him apparently, so i'll leave you to him then." Sherlock said glancing at Greg then headed back into the house. mycroft took Greg to his room to be punished. "What happened?" John asked, curiousMaybe Greg had a good reason to be near the fences. He likes it here so I don't think he'd want to escape." John said standing near Sherlock. I told Mycroft that but he didn't want to listen to me, he still broke a rule so I couldn't argue with him about it." he said with a sigh. What umm what kind of punishments are there?" John asked, wondering what was happening to Greg and what might happen to him should he ever stray. Sherlock looked at John with a serious face. "It depends on what what you have done, You either get a whipping or you get sent to a room on the other side of the house and you have to stay in there by yourself for two days." he said not looking away from John. John nodded looking down at the floor. Sherlock frowned and put his hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay John? ah I'm fine. Just feel kind of bad for Greg is all." He said looking up at Sherlock and putting on a smile. "Is there anything I can do for you Master?" He will be okay, Mycroft doesn't stay mad at him very long when he gets in trouble." he said with a smile, it slowly faded from his face though. "No, you don't need to do anything for me." John took another sip of his water and smiled at Sherlock. Sherlock smiled back and stood up. "What would you like to do now?" he asked. Would you read to me some more?" John asked. Of course I can, lets go to my room." he said turning to head towards the stairs.

john followed him grinning. He was excited to return to the magical world that Sherlock painted with his words. Once they were in his room Sherlock picked the book up and sat on his bed patting the spot next to him for John to sit down. "Have a seat." he said. John climbed up on the bed, sitting next to Sherlockherlock opened the book to the page he saved an began to read to John, getting into character again knowing John liked that.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello, I know it's been a while since I've posted, I've just been busy and haven't had time to post anything, But here's the next chapter. And to clear some things up, They are on summer break from school. Sherlock is going to be starting his second year of high school where as Mycroft will be graduating. I don't know if I'll have John attend school, most likely I will though. Any way I hope you all like this chapter, the relationship stuff will be happening soon...**

Sherlock smiled at John and went on reading, once in a while looking over to John to see if he was still listening to him. John

was listening to every word that he was saying, Minutes later Sherlock felt his eyes start to close on their own, he wasn't bored

of reading but he felt tired. John had noticed Sherlock looked rather tired. "Would you like to sleep master?" He inquired

. "What? Oh, yes I think I will take a short nap, will you be okay on your own for a bit?" He asked as he saved the page again

and putting it away. John nodded. "I'll be fine." He got up off the bed and headed for the door. "Sleep well." Sherlock nodded

and smiled small as he watched John leave before rolling onto his side and fell asleep. John wandered downstairs and into the

living room , stopping short as he saw Greg on the couch looking as if he was in a bit of pain. "Are you all right?" John said,

stepping further into the room to take a seat. Greg looked over at John and nodded slightly. "I'm fine, just sore." He answered.

"You don't have to answer, but what happened? I mean why were you near the fences?" Greg shrugged and looked away. "I

wasn't trying to escape, I had been kicking a ball around and ended up kicking it far. And well the ball rolled out near the

fences, when I came back out from the trees Mycroft was right there with a stern face and started to scold me." Greg

explained. John nodded in understanding. "I told Sherlock I didn't think you'd try to escape, you like it to much here. Did he

not give you a chance to explain?" John asked. "I tried but he was to upset to listen to me, he said I still broke a rule so I had

to be punished for it." "I'm sorry." John said." "At least it wasn't to bad I guess." "So you think." Greg mumbled and looked

back over to John. "It's okay." "All right. Well Sherlock's taking a nap so I've got time to kill, why don't we do something to get

you're mind off of it?" John suggested. "Sure, what'd you have in mind?" He asked. "We could play a game or

do you like to do around here?" "Well I sometimes read, go outside or I explore the house, which I have done to many times

already." He said with a smile. "We could go kick the ball around if you'd like or if you're to sore we could just sit here and

talk." "Let's talk, we can always play ball another time." Greg replied. "So what do you want to talk about?" John asked

. "Anything." Greg said. "Have you ever been owned by anyone else?" John inquired. "No, Mycroft is my first owner ever, what

about you?" "I've been in the pound ever since I was old enough to be sold. I was owned by two different people before

Sherlock. Both sent me back to the pound. I hope I don't get sent back again." John said, frowning at the thought of being

taken back to that horrible place. Greg frowned and put a hand on John's shoulder. "You won't get sent back John. Sherlock

cares about you. When I was in the pound the others would tell me stuff to the point that I wasn't sure that I wanted to be

adopted but I'm glad I was. Mycroft's a good owner despite that he can be pretty strict but I don't mind much." Greg said. John

smiled and nodded. "Thanks Greg. I guess I shouldn't worry about being sent back. You're a good friend." "You're welcome.

And you're a good friend too." Greg said smiling as he stood up. "I'm going to go lay down to relax my back. I'll see you later

all right?" He said. "Yeah sounds great." John replied. Greg nodded and headed to his bedroom. John looked at the time and

saw that it was nearly noon. He wondered if maybe Sherlock was awake and would want to eat. Once he was upstairs, he

stepped into the bedroom. "Sherlock?" He called softly to the still sleeping form. Sherlock stirred from his sleep at hearing his

name and turned over to see John. He noticed John had called him by his name instead of master and smiled. "John." He said

simply with a yawn. "Sorry to wake you but it's nearly lunchtime. "John said smiling back at him. "That's okay, I've slept

longer then I wanted to." He said getting out of bed. "What did you do while I slept?" He asked. "Mostly just talked to Greg.

Can I make you something to eat." He inquired. "That's good. And no I'm not actually hungry right now." He said with a shrug.

John frowned slightly at Sherlock not wanting to eat but didn't say anything about it. "All right. I'm going to make myself

something if you don't mind." John said. "I don't mind, I'll come with you." He said stepping out of the room. John smiled and

walked down to the kitchen with Sherlock. He opened the fridge and got out things to make a sandwich. Sherlock sat on a

chair and watched John as he pulled out stuff and smiled slightly. John grabbed a plate and started putting together his

sandwich. "Sure you don't want anything to eat?" "I'm sure, you go ahead and eat." Sherlock said as he got a glass of water.

John finished and put the stuff away. "May I sit with you or do I need to go into the other room to eat?" "You can sit with me, I

promise you won't get in trouble." He said pulling out a chair for him to sit. John nodded and sat down next to Sherlock as he

started to eat. Sherlock took a sip of his water and glanced at John. "Look John, I won't be home in the morning tomorrow, I

have to go to my violin lessons then go into town. I will be back around mid afternoon though." "That's all right. Greg will be

here so it's not like I'll be alone." John smiled. :I know you won't be alone, I just wanted to let you know so you won't wonder

where I've gone." He said smiling a little. "Thank you." John smiled back and continued eating. "You're welcome, how about we

go for a walk after you're done." He asked. "All right." John nodded and finished up was left of his sandwich. "I'm just going to

get my phone, wait for me by the door." He said getting up and left to his room. John put his plate away and went to the front

door. Sherlock came back and looked at John. "We won't go to the park today, just going to walk around the neighborhood."

He replied as he opened the front door, he didn't want to risk running into Jim if he was at the park again. "Yes master." John

said following after him. Sherlock turned to look back at John with a frown and turned back to walking down the sidewalk, he

was back to being called master again and it bothered him slightly. "Something wrong?" John asked, noticing the frown. "No

just thinking." He said keeping his gaze ahead. "If you ever need to talk to me I'm here. I mean I'm just a pet but I'm a good

listener." John smiled. Sherlock stopped walking and faced John. "You're not just a pet to me John, you're my friend, don't you

see me as a friend or just as your master who owns you?" He said furrowing his brows. "No I see you more as a friend then a

master." John replied. Sherlock smiled and relaxed. "Good. Thanks I know you will always listen to me." He said. John bit at

his lip as he looked at Sherlock. "Does it bother you that I call you master? I just thought it was expected." "At first it didn't, I

though eventually you'd stop and call me by my name, you don't have to call your owner master unless they command that

you do." He replied. "Then I shall start call you by you name, Sherlock." "Thank you, lets continue walking shall we?" He said

already moving down the sidewalk. John nodded and continued following Sherlock, looking around as they walked. After

walking in silence for a while Sherlock spoke up. "So I never really asked but do you have any brothers or sisters, that you're

aware of?" John glanced at him and nodded. "I had a sister. Not sure what happened to her. They split us up when we were

young." "What was her name?" "Harriet." He said simply. Sherlock nodded, he said nothing more about it not sure if John

wanted to discuss his personal life before being put into the pound. "We weren't really close." John shrugged, frowning slightly.

"Sorry to hear that." He said. "It's okay." John replied. Sherlock smiled a little and got an idea. "How about we go back to the

house and show you my secret room in the house?" "I would love to." John grinned, glad that Sherlock wanted to share

something special with him. "Great, let's head back then." Sherlock said, leading them back to the house. John felt good after

the walk and followed Sherlock into the house. "You'd be surprised how many secret areas are in this house, my parents said

they would never sell this place. It's a Holmes house and will always be owned by a Holmes." Sherlock explained to John as he

led him through many halls and different entrances. John listened and was amazed how big this house was and why Sherlock

hadn't mentioned this before. They soon came to a door and Sherlock opened it. "Here it is, my private room. I do

experiments in here and or just to get that extra quietness." He said as he wandered over to a desk. "I like it. It looks cozy."

John smiled as he looked around the room. Sherlock opened a cabinet and pulled out something as he showed John. John's

eyes widened slightly as he saw what Sherlock was holding, a skull. "Is this…is this real?" John asked. "Of course it's real, I

keep it here because if my mum found it in my bedroom she'd freak out, you want to hold it?" He said holding it out. "Wow,

this is amazing." John said taking the skull and looking over it, being careful not to drop it. "Where did you get it?" "From

school in science class. I took it before school let out for summer break." He said as he took a seat on a couch that was in the corner.


	4. Chapter 4

John looked the skull over some more before handing it back to Sherlock. "What's school like ?" He asked. Sherlock took the skull and gently set it on the side table. "It's okay I guess, the teachers can be rather boring at times, it can get pretty chaotic when you have a bunch of students walking around and pushing eachother in classes. I like it because I like to learn new stuff." He replied. "I think I would like school." John nodded, thinking it over. "If you would really like to, I can talk to my parents about enrolling you, it's still early so you'd have no problem getting in, I think." Sherlock said. "Are you sure they'd let a pet in?" John said, turning away." Sherlock frowned slightly and turned John around to look at him. ""I'm not sure, some pets get to go to school some don't I mean Greg goes to school so I wouldn't see why you wouldn't." He said and continued. "My parents can talk to the people at the school to see if you can attend, that is if you really want to attend school." "That would be great. Maybe I'd have class with you." He smiled. "Maybe, why don't I talk to them now to see what they think. " John nodded. "All right." He said, opening the door and both headed back to the main area of the house. "Would you like to come with me to speak with my parents or do you want to wait in the living room?" Sherlock asked John. "I…I think I'd rather wait." He said. John wasn't sure he wanted to face Sherlock's parents on such a serious topic. "Very well then, I'll come back and tell you once I'm done." He replied. John nodded and went to sit on the sofa. He nervously messed with his hands. Sherlock headed to his parents room not sure if both would even be in the same room. He stopped at the door and knocked gently. "Come in dear." His mother called through the door. Sherlock entered and smiled slightly and noticed his Father wasn't around. "Hello Mother, where is Father?" He asked. "He said he had some business in town. He should be back for dinner though." She replied. "Right." He said, it wasn't surprising really, his Father was always busy and away from the house. "I wanted to talk to you both about something, but I guess I can tell you about it first." "If you'd rather wait until dinner then you can tell us both so you won't have to repeat yourself." She said. Sherlock nodded. "I'll wait then." "Very well sweetie." His mummy said ruffling his hair. "If that was all then you should run along and play." Sherlock ran a hand through his hair and smiled at his Mother before leaving the room, heading back to the living room. John was still sitting when he looked up as Sherlock entered and stilled his hands. "That was fast. They said no didn't they?" Sherlock shook his head and sat next to him. "I didn't say anything about because my father went into town and won't be back until dinner so I told my Mother I would wait till then to tell them both." John nodded. "All right. I mean what's the worst that can happen anyway? They say no?" He said looking at his hands. "They might not, my parents like you or at least I think they do., I'm sure they wouldn't be against it or anything. Getting the school to let you in is another story though." He said looking over at John. "I've never been to school though, I remember we took lessons while at the pound and for a while at home but other then that I haven't been to a real school." He replied. "I think you would really like it if you got accepted, it'd be a good experience for you." Sherlock said. "Thank you Sherlock." John smiled at him. "No problem." Sherlock said with a smile as he ruffled John's hair. John closed his eyes and grinned at the gesture. Sherlock smiled again and sat back on the couch and sighed as he removed his hand from John's hair. "What do you want to do?" He asked. "We could go play outside. Or if you'd rather rest we could watch telly or read." John replied. "Let's go play outside." He said, standing up. John stood up as well and went outside. They played with a ball for a while as they kicked it back and forth Sherlock was rather impressed at how well John blocked the ball and kicked it. "You know if you do get into school you should seriously think of joining some kind of sport, you're good with the ball." John grinned. "Thanks." He enjoyed Sherlock's praise. "You reallt think I should?" "Yes I really do, you look like a persone who would be good at sports." Sherlock said smiling. "I've always enjoyed running around and stuff." He replied. "Did you ever play sportd before being sent to the pound?" Sherlock asked carefully. "I played around with friends but I didn't actually fully play anything." John shrugged. "Right, well let's head inside shall we, I need to do some stuff." He replied as he threw the ball to the side. "Okay." John said following after him. "Can I help in any way?" "Um no I got it, you can read from the book I've been reading to you while I work if you'd like." He said as they stepped into the house. John smiled and followed Sherlock up to his room. He grabbed the book from off the shelf and sat down on his makeshift bed that Sherlock had made for him. He opened the book to where they'd left off and began reading. Sherlock took some books from the shelf and set them on his desk near his experiment table and sat down, he opened one of the books and started reading as he took notes. Silence filled the room and after a while John got tired and soon drifted off to sleep, the book still in his hands. After finishing his work he heard a light snoring and turned to see John had fallen asleep. He got up from his desk and approached him as he gently pulled the book from his hands and set it aside, he got a blanket and draped it over John. He knew the rule about not letting pets sleep in the owners room but it wasn't like John was going to be alone in his room so he left John where he was as he laid on his own bed and slowly drifted off to sleep as well. Mycroft had come home and headed upstairs, heading to his room. He decided to check on Sherlock. He saw John sleeping in there and got angry. "What do you think you're doing pet?" He yelled. John woke up with a start. "I…I'm so sorry I didn't mean to. I accidently fell asleep while reading." He tried to explain. Sherlock twisted his body as he heard his brother shouting and looked at John then back at Mycroft's stern face. "Mycroft what are you doing in here and shouting at John like that?" He said getting off the bed and got in between his brother and John. "You know the rules Sherlock. Pets aren't allowed to sleep in their master's rooms John was clearly breaking that rule." Mycroft said frowning at John. "It wasn't his fault, I didn't want to wake him so I let him stay asleep, I was in here the whole time anyway." Sherlock said gazing at his brother. "It doesn't matter Sherlock. Rules are rules. You'll have to punish him. "Mycroft said. John flinched at the word punish and moved farther back onto his bed, holding his knees to him. The color drained from Sherlock's face as he stared wide eyed at his brother. "Punish him? He said in a tight voice as he looked at John then back to Mycroft. "Can we discuss this in the hallway?" He asked making his way to the door. "You're not supposed to have a pet alone in your room. John go to your room while your master and I talk." Mycroft replied. John stood up and started to walk toward the doorway. Sherlock narrowed his eyes at his brother then turned his gaze on John. "It'll be okay John." He said gently. John nodded, still a bit frightened as he went down to his room. He walked over to his bed and curled up on it, awaiting his fate. Back upstairs, Mycroft was staring at Sherlock with a stern look. "Sherlock you're to easy on him, he has to learn the rules." "I'm aware of that Mycroft, and he does know the rules, what sort of punishment am I supposed to give him?" He said stiffly. "That's up to you since you are his master." "I'll lock him up then." Sherlock said. "Very well. It would be wise for you not to get so attached to him. If he needs further punishment in the future you will have to give it to him, even if it involves more then just locking him up." Mycroft pointed out. "You don't think I don't know that Mycroft? Because I do and what do you mean by not getting attached to him? He's my pet isn't he?" He said narrowing his eyes. "Yes but you can't be afraid to discipline him." Mycroft explained. "I'm not afraid to discipline him, I'm about to do just that once you leave." "Yes but you're soft on him." "I' am not, so I'm not as harsh as you but if I needed to be I would, I wouldn't hesitate at all." He said defensively. Mycroft raised a brow. "I will hold you to that Sherlock, because you and I both know he'll get into trouble, you remember how Greg was and now look at him, he's a good pet." Mycroft said. "Yes I remember, now leave." He said. "Very well, I'll see you at dinner tonight." He said and continued to his own bedroom. Sherlock sighed and wandered downstairs towards John's room. John was sill curled up on the bed, imaging all the horrible punishments they might be planning for him. He jumped slightly when a knock sounded on the door. "C-Come in." John replied his voice rather shaky. Sherlock entered and glanced over at John who looked frightened. John looked over Sherlock and didn't see him holding anything threatening and calmed, but not much. Sherlock stepped closer and John couldn't help but shrink back. This stung Sherlock a bit and stilled his movements. "Relax John, I'm not going to do anything to you. However I have to set a punishment." He said gently. "What kind of punishment?" John said in a small voice. "You will be staying in that room I told you about by yourself. You will not be able to leave the room at all, food will be brought to you and there is a bathroom in the room so you can still go when needed." He explained. John nodded slightly, he was a bit relived he wasn't facing a more severe punishment but still. "I understand." He said, swallowing hard. Sherlock approached his and laid a hand on his shoulder. "I'm not upset with you John, I should have woken you up or something. It isn't your fault." He said. John nodded and got up off his bed. "Follow me." Sherlock said. John obeyed and followed after him. They wandered down some hallways and came to a room, he took a key out and unlocked it as they entered. The room was plain, just a bed in the corner, a window and a bathroom. John found it depressing as he glanced around. "A server will bring you your meals." Sherlock said, snapping John out of his thoughts. "Oh, right. Will you be able to come talk to me?" "I'm afraid not." Sherlock said and saw the frown form on John's face. "I guess I should have known that." "You just have to stay in here tonight and tomorrow night, you'll be okay." He replied. John nodded and didn't say anything else. Sherlock frowned slightly and ran a hand through John's hair. "I'll see you once this is over." He said and left the room, locking it behind him. John heard the door lock and went over to lay on the bed and let the sudden tears run down his face.


	5. Chapter 5

Sherlock leaned against the wall in the hallway feeling bad about leaving John alone. He was mad upset with Mycroft and wanted to argue more with him and how John didn't need to me punished when he didn't do anything wrong but he knew Mycroft wouldn't listen. He sighed and made his way to his bedroom, deciding to do more experiments to pass the time before dinner.

John didn't know how long he cried for and wiped his face. He hadn't cried since he was in the pound and didn't think he would need a reason to cry but how wrong he was. Sherlock said it wasn't his fault but John knew he was just saying that to make him feel better. He stretched his back out and turned over onto his stomach. Hours past until a knock made John turn his head. The door opened and a man entered with a tray. "You're dinner sir." He said, setting the tray on the bed. "Thank you." He said quietly, glancing briefly at the man. "You're welcome." He said, if he had noticed the puffiness of John's eyes he didn't say anything as he left but felt bad when the pets were punished. John lifted the lid and was surprised he was served a good portion of food, he half expected just bread and some cheese but this was even better he thought as he started to eat.

Sherlock came down for dinner and took his seat at the table. He saw his Father and was having second thoughts about telling his parents about John and school. As their dinner was set out Sherlock was about to speak when his Mother spoke up first. "Mycroft says that your pet misbehaved today? Is that true?" His mummy asked. Sherlock glared over at his brother then looked back at his mother. "It wasn't his fault Mother, I was working and he was reading and fell asleep, I didn't want to wake him so I left him where he was. I didn't leave him alone while he was in my room." He explained. "You allowed him to sleep in your room?!" Siger Holmes asked incredulously. "But you did punish him right? So it's ok, dear." Violet said taking her husband's hand and trying to calm him down. Sherlock flinched slightly at his fathers tone and nodded. "Yes I punished him, I locked him up in that room." He said calmly. "Good." Siger nodded. "Perhaps you've both learned something from this." Sherlock frowned and stared at his plate. "What's that supposed to mean?" He said looking back at his dad. "It means you should have known better to let him sleep in your room. You know the rules." He replied. "Yes I know the rules very well Father, I just didn't want to wake him up. But now that I think about it I should have carried him to his room." He said, knowing if he had done that he wouldn't have had to punish John. "You should have just woken him up." Siger said, eating his food. "I could have but I didn't, I was going to wake him up later but I fell asleep and woke up to Mycroft shouting at John." He said casting a look at his brother. "I was only doing what was right. He wasn't supposed to be in there sleeping." Mycroft said. "You're brother was right to do that Sherlock." Siger replied. "Even so, he's still my pet not Mycroft's, you have Greg to order around so don't order mine around." He said to Mycroft. "Any way it's all been settled so let's just enjoy our meal." Violet said. "I would like to speak with you and Father after once you both are done. I'm finished so I'm excusing myself." Sherlock said. His mother nodded. "Well come find you then." Sherlock nodded and got up and left the dining room. He past the room where Greg and John ate and saw that the room was empty. He shrugged, Greg must have finished already he thought as he went back to his room upstairs. Not very long Violet and Siger finished and went to find their son who was most likely in his room. "Sherlock?" She called as they reached the upstairs. "We're done if you'd like to talk." Sherlock poked his head out from his room. "Yes, come in." He said disappearing into the room again. "What is it you wanted to talk about sweetie?" Violet asked. "It's about John." He replied. "What about him?" His father asked, narrowing his eyes slightly. "Father John is a good person. Any way we were talking about school and he would like to attend if he could get in." He said. "Why does he need an education.?" Siger asked, slightly agitated. "He's quite smart and I think he'd like the experience of being in school and playing in some sort of sport." "Other pets go to school dear. It might be good for him, perhaps then he could keep up with Sherlock." Violet said wrapping an arm around her husband. "What if he messes up again." He asked, looking down at her. "We could always pull him out of school." "I will look after him and keep him out of trouble here and at school. I'll make sure he doesn't." He said trying to reason with him. Siger sighed. "Very well. We'll talk to the school and see if we can get him in. There's no guarantee and as soon as he screws up he's out of the school." He warned. Sherlock kept a straight face and nodded. "I understand father." Siger nodded. "Just don't forget he's a pet." "Yes sir." He said wanting to tell his Father John wasn't a pet he was a friend but kept his mouth shut at the risk of Siger changing his mind. "I'll set up an appointment with the dean." Violet said leaving to do so. Siger went to the living room to watch the news. Sherlock waited till his parents left before smiling. John would be happy to hear he would hopefully go to school. He then frowned at remembering John and wondered what he was doing. Much later when everyone had gone to bed Sherlock crept out of his room. He had waited and had fallen asleep but woke up later. He was going to see John, hopefully not getting caught.

John was sleeping under the sheet that covered the bed. He shivered slightly being that the sheet was the only thing keeping his sort of warm. A sound startled him awake as he sat up slightly and thought he heard someone outside the room. The lock clicked and John tensed, panicking a bit not knowing who could be entering at this time in the night. "John?" A voice said softly as the door opened a crack. "Sherlock?" He stuttered out, calming down a bit as he saw the outline of his friend enter. "What are you doing in hear? We can both end up in trouble" John said, worry creeping into his voice again. "I came to see you and tell you something. We won't get caught." He said, going over to the bed and sat down. "What is it then?" "I talked to my parents about you going to school and they agreed. My Mother called." He said. John blinked and smiled slightly. "Really? Even after what I did they still agreed?" He said. "Yes, my Father wasn't happy what you did but once I told him you are being punished he calmed just a bit." Sherlock said. John nodded. "Thank you Sherlock." He said, moving a bit and wrapped his arms around Sherlock's waist. "You're welcome." He replied, putting his own arms around John. They held each other in the dark and John nuzzled Sherlock's chest, falling in and out of sleep. The warmth of Sherlock was comforting and was better then the thin sheet that covered him. Sherlock bit his lip and knew he had to leave but the feeling of John in his arms was nice. "Lay down John." He said." John nodded and laid down on his side. "Will you stay?" John said, his eyes closed. Sherlock hesitated. "Please? " John said opening his eyes this time as he looked at Sherlock, not wanting to be alone. "All right, I'll stay till as long as I can." He said, laying down next to him. "That's fine." He replied, moving closer to Sherlock to keep warm. "Goodnight." John said, sipping back to sleep. "Goodnight John." Sherlock said, and wrapped his arms around the smaller boy before falling asleep.


	6. Chapter 6

The sun was just coming up when Sherlock slowly came awake. He stretched out and shifted closer to the other body. Sherlock sat up in surprise, forgetting where he was for a second. He was planning on going back to his room later in the night but apparently not he though as he got out of bed and quietly left the room. John shifted in his sleep but didn't wake up.

Sherlock showered and got dressed afterwards. Today was his violin lessons and had other plans for the day. Mycroft stopped by Sherlock's room and glanced in. "Ready to go?" He said. Sherlock glanced behind him and nodded. "Yes, you don't need to check on me, I'm not a little kid." He replied. Mycroft rolled his eyes. "I am aware of that. By the way you weren't walking around last night were you? Seeing John?" He said, narrowing his eyes. "No. I'm not the only one living in this house you know." Sherlock said, keeping calm. "Indeed. I'll be downstairs and do hurry." He said leaving the room. Sherlock made a face and grabbed his violin before leaving his room and met his brother at the front door. They both left and Sherlock's thought about John.

John woke up late as he moved over and felt empty space. He opened his eyes and saw that Sherlock was gone. Had he even really been in the bed or was it a dream? John shook his head, of course it was real. He knew Sherlock wouldn't stay long at the risk of getting caught. Today was going to be boring and John hoped it went by quickly.

The day was busy for Sherlock. His lesson was nearly an hour long then he left with his brother to run errands. It was all incredibly dull. It was nearing five o clock and they were still walking along the streets of the city. "Mycroft let me call a cab home." He complained. "No, Mother and Father are going to be out late and didn't want you home by yourself." Mycroft explained. "I'm fifteen, I'm old enough to be alone and plus Greg and John are home." "John is locked up and Greg is doing who knows what. Father didn't want you home because he thinks you would let John out." Sherlock rolled his eyes, of course his Father would think that. "I wouldn't, Father just doesn't trust me." He mumbled. Mycroft didn't respond and continued walking. "Stay out here till I'm done and we can head home alright?" Mycroft said as he opened a door to a building. "Fine." Sherlock said and leaned against the wall. Mycroft entered and left him alone. Half hour past and Mycroft still hadn't come out. Sherlock grew fusterated and as soon as he thought about walking away to explore his brother stepped out. "Took you long enough, what if someone had taken me?" He said with a smirk. "I doubt that, surprised you didn't wander off." "I did think about it." Sherlock said. "Right. Well I'm finished here so let's head home." Mycroft replied and both got into the car and left.

John sighed as he laid on his bed. This was perhaps one of the worst days of his life. He heard the sound of the front door opening and closing. Most likely Sherlock and his brother. He sighed again and turned over on his side. After eating dinner and reading, Sherlock got under his covers in bed. He made no attempts to try to see John this time as he drifted to sleep.

Five weeks had past since John's punishment and he had been relieved when he was let out then. Sherlock and John had spent a lot of time together. They went to the park and did whatever the two could think of. Sherlock felt different around John and at times he couldn't explain the feeling. It was a Friday afternoon when Sherlock decided to take John into the city. John was excited at going with Sherlock and watched the other cars pass as they headed to their destination. "It's been a while since I've been to the city." John said turning to look at Sherlock. "It hasn't changed much, we can look wherever you want." Sherlock said. John nodded and looked back out the window.

Once they were dropped off they walked around and entered many shops. John had found a jumper and asked if he could get it. Sherlock of course said yes. John pointed out a museum and both entered, looking around. "It's hard to believe that someone actually did all this by hand." John said as they stood in front of many paintings. "I agree, they must have had a lot of patience and time on their hands to complete such detailed work." Sherlock replied. John grinned at him and squeezed Sherlock's hand gently. Sherlock smiled back and caught himself looking at John's eyes and looked away feeling his face warm slightly. A few feet away Jim was standing and spotted the two and smirked. He stepped in front of them as they were walking away, blocking the way. "Fancy seeing you two here. Are you on a date with your pet Sherlock?" He asked looking at their hands held together. "A bit inappropriate don't you think Sherly, you know the rules." He said with a unfriendly smile. Sherlock stiffened and glared at him. "No, he's my friend, not that it's you're business to know anyway, so let us pass." He said taking a step forward. "Oh so you do have feelings for him don't you? Pathetic little Sherlock's got a crush on his pet." He teased. "Leave him alone." John said. "Oh look at pet speaking up, what are you going to do about it?" He asked touching John on the nose when he said you. John pushed Jim slightly. Sherlock pulled John back. Don't John." He said with warning in his voice. "And don't touch him, now leave." "Ooo so protective." He sang. "Really though why would you want him when you could have someone you already know well?" Jim said with a knowing look in his eyes. John frowned and looked confused. "Go away now Jim." He said through gritted teeth. Jim chuckled. " I'm bored with you anyways. Have fun on the rest of your date, lovebirds." He said as he brushed against Sherlock as he left. "Sorry I pushed him but he made me angry." John said after a brief silence. "It's fine just don't try to do it again." He said. "What was he talking about. You having feelings for me and you could have someone you know better?" John asked. "He was just trying to get me upset." Sherlock shrugged. John raised a brow and looked down at his feet. "Right. Um do you think we can go eat something?" John asked as he looked back at Sherlock. "Of course." He said and made to walk to the exit. John followed and held onto his hand hoping Sherlock didn't pull away. Sherlock smiled to himself and held his hand all the way to the Italian restaurant they had spotted.

They were seated and given menus. John grabbed the menu and looked it over. He didn't want Sherlock paying too much for him, especially since he'd already bought him the jumper. He chose a cheaper pasta dish. Sherlock decided on spaghetti and placed the menu down. The waiter approached the table and too their orders. "I'll be right back with your drinks," He said as he left. Sherlock nodded anf looked at John. "I hope you've enjoyed yourself so far." He said. "I have, it's been fun being with you." "Me too." Sherlock said, looking over John's face. John smiled a little, he liked looking at Sherlock's eyes, they were really blue and everything about him was perfect. He sighed and Sherlock asked if he was all right. "What? Oh yes, sorry." John said, blushing a bit. Sherlock didn't look convinced and spent the time talking till the food arrived. John began eating. "Mmm this is delicious." Sherlock nodded as he ate his own food. "Would you like to try some." He inquired, holding his fork full out to Sherlock in case he did. "Sure." He said as he took the fork and took a bite before handing it back to John. "That's really good, want to try mine?" He asked. "If you don't mind." "I don't mind.?"He said as he spun some of the pasta onto his fork and holding it out to John. John didn't grab the fork, instead he leaned forward and took the bite. "Aren't you two just adorable." The waiter smiled as he returned to the table to check on them. "Can I get you anything else?" Sherlock stared as John leaned in and took a bite, he wasn't expecting that and blushed slightly when he heard the waiters comment, he looked away from John. "Um no, we're fine for now." He said with a small smile. The waiter nodded and left. John blushed slightly. "Umm thanks for the bite." "No problem." Sherlock replied as he finished up his food. When they had finished he payed the bill and both exited the restaurant. "How about we get ice cream for dessert?" John suggested. "That's fine." Sherlock said as they walked to the closest ice cream shop. They ordered their invidual cones and took a seat in one of the booths. "How is it?" Sherlock asked as he watched John lick his ice cream. "It's really good." John said. He wasn't being very careful and got some chocolate along the side of his mouth. Sherlock nodded and noticed John's mess. "You have some ice cream on the side of your mouth." He said picking up a napkin and reached over to wipe it off not thinking about what he was doing until he took his hand back. "Um, sorry I guess you could have wiped your own face." He said, looking embarresed "It's fine, I don't mind." John smiled. "Thank you." "You're welcome." He said. When they had finished it was fully dark outside. They arrived back at home and John let out a yawn as they entered the house. "Will you read to me ?" John asked. "Of course, let's read in your room. There's only a few chapters left then it's done." "I almost don't want it to end." He said as he headed for his room. Once there he took off his jumper and folded it neatly before placing it with the rest of his clothes. He hopped onto the bed and laid down. Sherlock shut the door and picked the book up before laying on the bed. John curled up to Sherlock, waiting for him to begin. He read and glanced at John who was really into the story. John nuzzled against him. He soon came to the final chapter and John listened trying to predict how it would end. "And he lived his days happily to the end of his days." Sherlock finished as he closed the book. "That was a really good book. Thank you for reading it to me." "You're welcome John, I knew you'd like it." He said smiling at him. "You're amazing." John said looking at Sherlock with admiration. He couldn't believe how lucky he was to have someone like Sherlock in his life. "You really think so?" He said looking down at John. "I really do. You're the best person I've ever known. Sherlock smiled slightly. "You're pretty amazing yourself." "You really think so? I don't think I've ever been called amazing." John beamed. "Yes I do, then I'm the first to tell you that you are." He replied. John hugged him tightly. Sherlock hugged back. "Hey Sherlock?". John said, loosening his grip. "Yes John?" "Why did Jim think we were dating? He hasn't even seen us except today and the last time we saw him." "Well by us holding hands and how close we look when in public. He was just being his usual annoying self." Sherlock said. "Friends don't hold hands and stay close?" He asked, looking at Sherlock. "Well friends can be close but often when two people hold hands they can be assumed they are a couple." He explained. "Are we in a dating relationship then?" He questioned. Sherlock furrowed his brow. "Do you think we are?" "Well we held hands and we are pretty close to each other so it sounds like we are." "Would it bother you if it came out sounding like we are?" He said carefully. John shook his head. "I've enjoyed being with you like we have been, no matter what it's called." "So have I." John snuggled up a bit closer to Sherlock stealing his warmth. Sherlock put a hand on John's head and ran his fingers through the blonde hair as he shut his eyes but didn't fall asleep. John hummed letting his eyes close as well. "You can sleep if you want, I'm not going anywhere." He said with his arm around John still. "Thank you." John sighed and let himself drift off to sleep. Sherlock stayed awake for a little longer thinking until he slowly fell asleep with the blanket draped over them both. John slept peacefully cuddled up to Sherlock.

Greg had been alone in the house since everybody had left that morning so he had been in the library reading, he heard Sherlock and John enter and after a while it grew quiet again. He got up and headed to John's room ti ask how his day went. As he opened the door he stopped and stared, Sherlock sleeping in the same bed as John. He knew the rules about pets and masters not allowed to sleep together even if it was innocent. He stepped back as if to leave but he knocked into the door and fell with a crash on the ground. John jumped awake at the sudden noise and looked to see Greg on the floor. "Greg what are you doing?" John asked. Sherlock woke up too and looked over at Greg. "Sorry I just wanted to see how you were, I guess you are fine. Look you know if someone saw you right now you'd be in trouble right?" "Why would we be in trouble? The rule says I can't sleep in his room, it doesn't say he can't sleep in mine." John pointed out. Greg raised a brow and looked at Sherlock. "You didn't tell him?" Sherlock shook his head. "No. Look John Greg's right, owners aren't allowed to sleep in their pets bedrooms." Sherlock said. "Oh I didn't know. You won't tell will you Greg?" John asked, slightly worried. Greg sighed and shook his head. "No I won't tell, you're my friend too, just don't do it again or next time it won't be me that finds you both in bed even if it is all innocent." "Thank you Greg." John smiled at him as he left the room. He turned his attention to Sherlock. "Why didn't you say something?" "It must have slipped my mind. He said simply. "Why are all these rules so stupid? I suppose there's a rule that you can't date your pet either? He guessed then he remembered something. "Wait Jim said something about having feelings for me was inappropriate and you should know the rules. Was he implying pets and owners aren't allowed to in a relationship?" He said. Sherlock didn't reply and looked away. "I take that as a yes then." He sighed. "Yes it's a rule that applies to every pet and owner who lives here."But what if we lived somewhere else?" John inquired curiously. "IT's an overall rule John. Any pet cannot be in a relationship with their owner." "Right so in other words, no more hand holding and sleeping together." He frowned. "But how would people know a pet or owner are dating?" He continued. "We can still hold hands John, but yes no more sleeping in the same bed unless we snuck around. And this." He said pulling out the dog tags from around John's neck and looked at them. "These show that you are a pet to others. That's how you identify a pet from a master." He explained. "Great. I should have known this was all to good to be true." "John don't do this to yourself. I still like you a lot." "What does it matter though? It's not like we could do anything about it." He said laying down and burying his head in his pillow. "It does matter. Listen to me, once the pet has reached seventeen he or she can finally ask their owner to sign a paper to release them, which means the pet isn't considered a pet no more and they can start a new life on their own, in cases of relationships, once the owner has signed the papers the pet chooses to stay with the owner. They just aren't considered pet and owner anymore." He explained. "So I have to wait till I'm seventeen to date you? That's not fair." John complained. "I completely agree ." "Do you want to be in a relationship with me?" John inquired. Sherlock looked at John and nodded slowly. "Yes I would like to." John smiled and pulled him into a hug. "I'm glad to hear that." "We can still do this dating and being a couple thing, we're just going to have to sneak around and keep it secret." Sherlock said. "All right. It sort of sucks about hiding this." "I agree but we have no choice." "I guess the important thing is that you feel the same way. We'll just have to find somewhere we can be together." "There is always that room I showed you with the skull remember?" "I do, we can do that." "Great, we'll be fine as long as we don't get caught. Greg won't tell anybody, I think he already knows how we feel and doesn't seem to mind." "That's good." John said, burying his face against Sherlock's chest. Sherlock wrapped his arms around John holding him close. "If you get into school we can also be together there as long as we don't do anything to give ourselves away." John grinned and kissed him on the cheek quickly, blushing. Sherlock looked at John and smiled at seeing the blush on his face, he leaned in and kissed his forehead lightly before pulling back.


End file.
